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Parental optimism in poor prognosis pediatric cancers
Lillian Sung1, Robert J Klaassen, David Dix
1Division of Haematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Lillian.sung@sickkids.ca
Psycho-Oncology
|December 9, 2008
Summary
About 10% of parents hold optimistic views on their child's cancer prognosis, even when doctors rate it as poor. Parental optimism, especially for solid tumors or relapsed disease, influences these differing views.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Psychosocial Oncology
- Cancer Prognosis
Background:
- Parental perception of prognosis significantly impacts families facing childhood cancer.
- Understanding discrepancies between parental and physician prognostic views is crucial for supportive care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare parent- and physician-rated prognosis across diverse pediatric cancers.
- To determine the prevalence and predictors of parental prognostic optimism in high-risk pediatric cancer cases.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 395 Canadian children undergoing active cancer treatment.
- Parents provided a 5-point categorical rating of their child's prognosis.
- Pediatric oncologists assessed prognosis based on child and disease factors.
Main Results:
- 10.6% of parents rated prognosis as excellent/very good when physicians deemed it poor.
- Optimistic parental estimates were linked to solid tumors (OR 11.3), brain tumors (OR 7.5), relapsed disease (OR 10.7), and parental dispositional optimism (OR 1.1).
Conclusions:
- A notable percentage of parents maintain optimistic prognostic views despite poor physician assessments.
- Factors such as tumor type, disease status, and parental optimism influence these prognostic discrepancies.
- Further research is essential to explore the impact of these differing views on patient care and outcomes.
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